Carlisle and Esme

47. Meeting Alice and Jasper

Chapter Forty-Seven

Esme and I were sat on the couch. Rosalie was perched on the arm of it. Jasper was sat in the armchair and Alice was sat cross legged, facing us on the floor.

"So what are your stories?" I was always curious as to where other vampires came from. I liked to collect these stories, see which vampires were the cause of so many myths and legends, see where vampires were created and why. It was always fun.

"I came from Texas. Houston. I was born in the 1800s." Jasper smiled at us.

"You're older than any of us then, apart from Carlisle." Esme told him. Jasper looked confused. I smiled.

"I was born in the 1600s."

"So you'll remember the wars?" I shrugged.

"I heard of them. The vampire wars of the south?"

"Not quite but it's related. I was a Texan major in the military. I was ranked quickly higher. I was the youngest major of the century. I had lied about my age so I could join but I was the youngest. Ranked higher than older and more experienced men."

"How old are you?" Esme asked.

"Physically, I'm twenty." I smiled again.

"I'm twenty-one." Jasper laughed.

"No way!" I nodded.

"I already knew that." Alice told us, smugly.

"Anyway, I was on a mission. My job was to evacuate the women and children. I was in Galveston when I came across three women. Vampires. Of course I didn't know that then. I just marvelled at their beauty. Their names were Maria, Nettie and Lucy. They talked of killing me and my instincts warned me to flee but I was stood captivated, frozen by their beauty. Maria asked me of my name. I told her and she told me that she hoped I would survive. That enough should have been what made me want to run but I didn't. She bit me and when I was transforming, she took me to her hideout." I understood why he had been created when he explained his transformation.

"You were created as a newborn for the newborn wars?" Jasper nodded.

"Maria created an army with the help of Nettie and Lucy. It was my job to look after the other newborns. Maria would dispose of all the newborns once they had reached their year mark but she liked me."

"You were lovers?" Esme asked. Jasper smiled a harsh smile.

"I had that impression but it was more like I was her puppet and she pulled the strings." Alice patted Jasper's knee.

"She would get Jasper to dispose of all the newborns once their uses had been finished with." Jasper's smile slipped. His eyes stared at the carpet, blank as he remembered his past.

"I could feel their emotions as I murdered them... I was a monster and I beat myself up for it."

"Another newborn joined Jasper's rank. He was called Peter and he too disposed of the newborns. One day when they were disposing of them, Peter ran away with one of the newborns called Charlotte. They left and found a new way of life."

"Peter loved Charlotte but I didn't realise it until that night." Jasper continued Alice's words.

"They left you behind?" Rosalie sounded horrified.

"They came back for me eventually. They had found peace elsewhere. It was better once we were away from the fighting. I had planned to kill Maria because I was weary of the fight. Once Peter and Charlotte came back for me, that was no longer necessary."

"But that still wasn't enough?" Esme asked.

"I could still feel the emotions of my prey. I would go for longer without feeding but I just got thirstier and would give in. It wasn't until I met Alice that I found this way of life." Jasper smiled at Alice. It was a look filled with love.

"What about you, Alice?" I asked her.

"I don't know... I woke up alone with no memory of who I was or even what I was." I leaned forward in my interest.

"Absolutely no memory?"

"None. I can't remember anything of a human life..." Her voice was wistful.

"That's different..." Esme murmured. Alice smiled at her.

"My first ever vision once I was a vampire was of Jasper. My second vision was of you and your family."

"So your visions are... Set in stone?" Rosalie was frowning as she spoke.

"The future is never set in stone," Jasper replied. "Alice likes to stick to her visions. But they're subjective."

"When someone makes a decision, their whole future changes. If a child cleaned his room, his parents would approve and he would get a treat. But if the child chooses not to clean his room, his parents take away his favourite toy. No matter how small the decision, the whole future changes." Alice explained.

"That's amazing," I whispered. I suddenly caught sight of the time on my watch and stood up. "I must go. The hospital is waiting for me." I then left the room.